


and as the world comes to an end, i'll be here to hold your hand, cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart

by imadetheline



Series: Breathe In, Breathe Out [17]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Dancing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FebuWhump2021, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Light Angst, Not Incest, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:36:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29551518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imadetheline/pseuds/imadetheline
Summary: febuwhump alt 2 prompt - "i can't lose you too."
Relationships: Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker
Series: Breathe In, Breathe Out [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140389
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	and as the world comes to an end, i'll be here to hold your hand, cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart

**Author's Note:**

> title from king and lionheart by of monsters and men
> 
> ok this is supposed to be for day seventeen. I'm a day behind but hopefully I'll be able to catch up over the weekend, sorry about the delay

“Luke!” Leia’s voice filters through the commotion of the hangar, and Luke glances over his shoulder, pausing in his tinkering of his x-wing. 

Artoo beeps impatiently at him, and he waves the droid away, “Just a minute, Artoo.” He picks up a random cloth off a toolkit, wiping away the oil on his hands as Leia approaches, the crowd parting like the sea in front of her small form, datapad in hand. 

“I need you to sign this report on ship parts for high command,” she says all in one breath, and Luke hesitates, looking her over. Her shoulders are slumped, and there’s barely concealed darkness beneath her eyes. Of all people, Luke knows how hard she works, how little sleep she gets, and especially how hard it’s been since they lost Han. It weighs on both of them.

But she gestures the datapad impatiently under his nose, bringing him out of his thoughts, and he huffs out a small laugh, dropping the dirty rag back down and snatching the pad from her hand before she can smack him in the nose with it. But as he stares down at the report, Leia’s foot-tapping joining the noise of the larger hangar, he hears one of the men’s radio’s playing. It’s barely audible over people speaking and machines rattling, but it’s there.

Luke glances back up to Leia, her arms crossed and staring out across the large hangar, dark eyes hooded, and he makes a decision.

He deposits the datapad on top of the toolkit with a clatter. “Luke, what-” but Luke’s already tugging at her hands. She raises an eyebrow but slowly uncrosses her arms, letting him pull her closer. Luke smiles softly and raises the hand clasped in his prosthetic, resting his other hand on her back. And then he spins her around.

Her eyebrow raises further, but she doesn’t pull away. “Luke, I really need that signature,” she sighs as he pulls her around in something that could almost be called a dance.

“And you’ll get it, but just-” he exhales heavily, slowing his steps for a moment to just look at her, “take a moment, Leia. You deserve it.”

She glances past him to the open hangar door where the light of the sunset is spilling in. Distantly, the radio plays a happy tune. Then she looks back to him, and Luke sees the light reflected in her eyes like fire. “Alright,” she whispers, and he smiles.

And then he spins her again, and they waltz around his x-wing, Artoo beeping something at them from beneath it. Slowly, the commotion falls away, and the music grows louder. And here, the weight on their shoulders falls away. They’re just kids, and maybe they deserve to feel like it, for this one moment, at least.

Luke just watches the exhaustion melt away from Leia’s face and feels his own drop away, the happiness of just being here, being alive, fueling his steps. And she’s a much better dancer than he is, but neither of them is trying, everyone else forgotten as they spin and stumble. Luke accidentally steps on Leia’s foot, and she laughs and just steps on his foot in retaliation, smiling, her eyes alight with joy. And Luke can’t help but laugh too, caught up in a world where they’re allowed this joy every day.

Around them, he finally notices the other pilots and engineers swaying gently or whooping and swinging each other around with loud laughter. Everyone’s stopped what they were doing; the radio’s been turned up as the sun pours in. And Luke is happy for the first time in months, Leia smiling widely in front of him as Wedge steps in and twirls her around, letting her lead. 

Luke steps back, resting his gloved hand on Artoo’s silver dome, and watches his family, his real family, dancing, singing and laughing, and remembering they’re alive. He only wishes Han were here. But he’s going to be. They’re going to rescue him. Soon. But for now, Leia’s bright eyes and Wedge’s laugh and Artoo’s happy whistle… they’re enough.

Leia stumbles over to stand next to him, chuckling as Wedge grabs Hobbie and dips him. She laces her hand with his flesh one and leans her head against his arm, looking out over the hangar. “I missed this,” she whispers into the circle of silence around just them as the noise continues outside their bubble. 

Luke looks down at her, but he can only see the braids crowning the top of her head, so he just squeezes her hand, “Me too.” The sunlight is disappearing, the lights lining the walls flickering on instead, casting dancing shadows across people’s faces as they smile. “You should take breaks more often, you know.”

He feels her inhale shakily at his side, “I know… But there are so many things I have to do.”

Luke sighs, his fingers tapping against Artoo’s dome. The droid whistles in indignation, and Luke stops the unconscious tick with some effort, “You need rest too. Other people can handle things sometimes.”

She glances up at him, smiling sadly, “There are some things  _ I _ need to do, Luke.”

And he understands; he does. “We’re gonna get him back, Leia, promise.” He looks down at where she’s leaning against his arm.

But she doesn’t look at him, “I know. That’s not it. I-” Luke squeezes her hand again and waits, listening to the crackling radio and watching stars slowly blink into existence outside the hangar in the purpling twilight. “I just- I can’t lose you too.” It’s barely an exhale, but Luke looks down sharply. Leia’s still not looking at him. “If I stop and don’t do something and you-” Her breath catches on the word, and she quickly changes it, “...something happens, I’d never forgive myself.”

And there’s nothing Luke can say that will reassure her because he knows what that feels like. He feels the same weight on his shoulders, worrying about her. He can’t promise she won’t lose him, won’t make a promise he can’t keep. So he just whispers, “I’m right here, Leia,” and pulls her into his arms. He can only give her that. He’s here, now, and so is she. 

The music spills around them, stars twinkling outside as the night chill works its way through the base. But even that can’t stop the laughter. A space has cleared in the middle of the hangar for a dance floor, and someone’s brought Corellian whiskey, and others have appeared: officers and mechanics and engineers. It seems more people than Leia needed a break. And they deserve it—all of them.

Luke squeezes Leia in his arms, her warmth a comfort and a reminder that she’s alive. But the night is sparkling, and it demands to be enjoyed, so he pulls back finally and extends a hand, grinning. “Command can wait a little longer. May I have this dance?” And there’s moisture in the corners of her dark eyes, but a smile tugs at her lips, and she just grabs his hand and drags him to the dance floor.

The Rogues place a bet on how many people’s toes Luke can step on throughout the night. And the report never does get signed. But if no one sleeps that night, partying till the early hours, it’s alright. Sometimes remembering you’re alive is worth lost sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> If you guys liked it leave a comment. They make my day! Seriously I love reading them so please leave me one cause they motivate me to write more! if you guys have ideas for other stories send me an ask on tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/imadetheline) or just yell about stuff with me. Info about me and all my other tumblrs are [here](https://infoabtmaddie.carrd.co/#)


End file.
